…things need to change, or Toyota, the world’s largest car company by sales, “will not survive.”
…If Toyota feels like it’s losing ground, then the ground is probably moving.
The problem isn’t just one thing, either. It’s everything, everywhere, all at once. Chinese automakers are gaining ground quickly and setting a new standard for manufacturing costs. Software is becoming a core part of cutting-edge vehicle. Tariffs are still a thing. The auto industry has seen more upheaval in the last few years than it did over the last several decades…
Toyota has always had extremely strict quality standards…But that could soon change.
The brand is implementing something that it calls “Smart Standard Activity.” This is meant to slash…quality standards…Toyota believes it will lower the price of its components…
I bet if someone just came out with some simple cheapish electric cars without all the fancy bullshit then their sales will increase. Stop screwing over your customers and maybe they’ll replace their 15 year old cars.
Aptera is currently making their production intent vehicles for testing and validation. The price has snuck up thanks to Trump’s economic — and literal — world war, but it’s still more affordable than others. It can also charge up to 40 miles per day on solar alone, so the operating costs should be very low.
I’ve been keeping an eye on this: https://www.slate.auto/en
Stripped down, simple, no touchscreen bs, and the vehicle is customizable through their website. Pricing and ship dates are going to be announced next week if I remember correctly.
I hate that slate is backed by Jeff Bezos I’m sure he’ll find a way to fit some spyware or ai in there. I really can’t see him backing it for altruistic reasons
Ah damn, I didn’t know that goblin ass bastard was involved. Welp, not wasting my time with that.
If the car fits your needs, don’t let the dude sway you from it. You’ll find it to be pretty exhausting to find something that fits your desire perfectly without any issues.
The important thing is to support EVs to help normalize them and drive them forward. I’m sure your ideal EV will be out there eventually, maybe that company feels it’s risky to do so right now.
Hate to tell you this but all car OEMs are run by goblin-ass bastards.
Maybe he’s just backing it to make money? 🤷♂️
Unfortunately it looks like their pricing is creeping up into “regular EV” territory. I like the concept and hope I’m wrong.
What “regular EV” has pricing in the mid-twenties?
I do like the Slate, and I ordered one immediately, but I so wish they made a car instead of a dumb truck with terrible aero and a bed I’m never going to use.
I know there’s a SUV package but certainly that will add a huge premium to the price. I’m pretty sure the “mid-20s” is the “entry” price and bottom-dollar to get eyeballs and then all the upgrades will be crazy overpriced.
Yeah, the percentage of buyers who will actually shell out only that base price would be small. I want a non-enshittified car too, but I also want basic conveniences like power windows and a minimal sound system. I don’t think a lot of people would also rawdog the exterior and will pay for the wrap.
Honestly I wish they would just install the wiring, and then let the owners decide if they want to connect them.
Cutting features doesn’t cut costs as much as you might think.
LED strips are very cheap. Going back to real buttons costs more than touchscreens, not less.
Chinese vehicles are so much cheaper for lots of reasons. From cheaper labor generally, to actual under the counter government subsidies.
Chinese EVs are cheaper because the components are made in the same country, often in the same city, and perhaps in the factory down the street. Transporting stuff costs money and forward-thinking industrial planning can reduce these costs.
Yup. A huge part of the cost is the batteries, the electric motors, the sensors and controllers that manage charging and discharging.
Looking around at home battery backup solutions, for example, simply having the same storage capacity as an EV (50-75 kwh) can cost almost as much as an EV itself.
Jackery has add on batteries for about $1000 for 5 kwh, Ecoflow and Anker Solix cost $2000 for 6 kwh.
At those prices, a 60kwh battery pack in an EV basically represents $12,000 to $20,000 in battery cost alone, plus a whole system around charging it and using it for an electric motor, and then a whole car around that.
It’s not a perfect comparison, but it does show that the actual material cost of what goes into an EV is primarily the electric drivetrain and battery.
Jackery, Ecoflow and Anker are all going to be crazy overpriced because they spend all their money on marketing. That’s why you see them absolutely everywhere.
Some of the good Chinese brands are selling 5kWh for ~$800. And even that has a markup that these Chinese auto brands won’t.
Like Amazon undercutting dipers to take over and then raise the prices. China is doing similar on the scale of nations. They want to be the next US in 50ish years. They’re using economics to do it.
China is intentionally undercutting the rest of the world in clean energy tech, to establish a global monopoly. They see how important it will be, and want the world to be dependent on China for its energy.
That sound too virtuous. They’re heavily investing in lots of different emerging technologies in order to dominate them, yes. Creating cost-efficient energy storage is wildly profitable.
I do wonder how much it would cost to build a code-compliant, UL-certified/listed system for home battery backup at 50 kwh, with a system that knows to balance things between cells over many charge/discharge cycles.
I gotta imagine a lot of the value add of the established names is that they actually operate in the U.S. (even though all 3 companies I named are Chinese owned). That’s not just about marketing (even if it is true that having U.S. operations helps significantly with marketing), but the cost of certifying for different third party safety standards, and having assets/operations that bring them within reach of U.S. courts and regulators.
But don’t you see? I need my car to cradle my balls. They just didn’t do that in the old cars.
My GluckGluck9000 has a huge touchscreen which only knocks off 100 miles of range while I’m gooning
When did your mom get a huge touchscreen?
Walked right into that one lmao
Like slate trucks? I do wonder how that company works out.
I’ve been looking at Slate, def. one to follow. Until something EV and truck like shows up, alas, the ancient 'yota will stay on the road. And regardless my bike is my main transpo on the daily basis.
Sales would increase but profits would decrease, which is all they care about. That’s why they do it.
Maybe appeals to some but I like being able to connect and change charging schedules and connect and pre-condition the car either hot or cold so it’s nice when I jump in. I like the HUD as well. Android auto is good but I would be okay just running a phone in a mount for mapping.
One of the biggest complaints from Aussie Volkswagen (and subsidiaries like Cupra) ecar owners owners is a lack of connectivity :)
Have a BYD here in Austrialia I 70% charge off my solar panels, 10% off public chargers and 20% using low cost tariffs after midnight… Don’t really care if China is monitoring me, it’s my Government monitoring me that concerns me.
But prior to this I was car free for 5 years living in the city, now in a rural areas and Australia is car brained that’s there’s only one bus a day (which I take when I can) and I cycle as well, like I have today